Amos and Boris

(National Book Award finalist) Originally published in 1971, this book by the Caldecott Medal–winning author of Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and Shrek! was inspired in part by Aesop's story of "The Lion and the Mouse." Boris the whale finds Amos the mouse adrift after he's fallen out of his boat, a thousand miles from shore. On the long journey back they learn much about each other and become true friends. Then a storm beaches Boris, and Amos has to find a way to help. William Steig's simple, warm-hearted cartoons illustrate this tale of a lasting long-distance friendship for readers 4 to 8.